NameCensus.

UK surname

Reynolds

An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold," a Germanic given name meaning "ruler's counsel."

In the 1881 census there were 25,883 people recorded with the Reynolds surname, ranking it #127 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 41,242, ranked #118, up from #127 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and North Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Reynolds is 42,612 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.3%.

1881 census count

25,883

Ranked #127

Modern count

41,242

2016, ranked #118

Peak year

1999

42,612 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Reynolds had 25,883 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #127 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 41,242 in 2016, ranked #118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 35,026 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Reynolds surname distribution map

The map shows where the Reynolds surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Reynolds surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Reynolds over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 16,069 #134
1861 historical 16,726 #126
1881 historical 25,883 #127
1891 historical 27,839 #122
1901 historical 32,735 #123
1911 historical 35,026 #108
1997 modern 40,713 #110
1998 modern 42,367 #109
1999 modern 42,612 #111
2000 modern 42,452 #110
2001 modern 41,486 #110
2002 modern 42,304 #112
2003 modern 41,164 #113
2004 modern 41,020 #115
2005 modern 40,132 #115
2006 modern 40,182 #115
2007 modern 40,392 #116
2008 modern 40,521 #116
2009 modern 41,382 #116
2010 modern 42,104 #117
2011 modern 41,412 #119
2012 modern 40,728 #117
2013 modern 41,607 #117
2014 modern 41,912 #117
2015 modern 41,519 #117
2016 modern 41,242 #118

Geography

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Where Reynolds' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, Liverpool and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, North Norfolk and Waveney. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carmarthenshire 027 Carmarthenshire
2 Pembrokeshire 003 Pembrokeshire
3 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk
4 Pembrokeshire 002 Pembrokeshire
5 Waveney 007 Waveney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Reynolds

These lists show first names that appear often with the Reynolds surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Reynolds

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Reynolds, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Reynolds surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Reynolds household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Reynolds is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Reynolds is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Reynolds falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Reynolds is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Reynolds, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Reynolds

The surname Reynolds originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a derivation of the Old English words "ren" meaning "stream" and "healh" meaning "nook" or "corner of land". The surname Reynolds would have initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or in a corner of land by a stream.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various early records and manuscripts such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which listed a Reynold de Bernham in Norfolk. The Domesday Book of 1086 did not include the surname Reynolds, but it did feature the personal name Reynold which was likely the root from which the surname later emerged.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Reynolds is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Reynolds is listed. Another early instance is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1301, which mentions a John Reynold.

The surname Reynolds is also associated with several place names in England, such as Reynolds Cross in Somerset, Reynolds Wood in Shropshire, and Reynolds Park in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or referred to locations where individuals with the surname Reynolds once lived or owned land.

Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Reynolds include:

1. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), a renowned English portrait painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts. 2. Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016), an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her roles in films like "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". 3. Walter Reynolds (c. 1350-1327), an English priest who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1313 to 1327. 4. John Reynolds (1549-1607), an English Catholic martyr and Franciscan friar who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 5. Alastair Reynolds (born 1966), a British science fiction author known for works such as the Revelation Space series and the novel "House of Suns".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Reynolds families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Reynolds surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 3,173 Reynolds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.25x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 3,173 1.25x
Lancashire 2,040 0.68x
Yorkshire 1,572 0.63x
Surrey 1,389 1.13x
Staffordshire 1,311 1.53x
Kent 1,215 1.41x
Warwickshire 1,041 1.63x
Essex 967 1.94x
Cornwall 821 2.87x
Norfolk 817 2.10x
Shropshire 705 3.22x
Glamorgan 644 1.46x
Suffolk 612 1.99x
Worcestershire 561 1.70x
Hampshire 549 1.06x
Lincolnshire 484 1.20x
Northamptonshire 481 2.02x
Cheshire 448 0.80x
Pembrokeshire 415 5.16x
Gloucestershire 410 0.83x
Devon 400 0.76x
Somerset 373 0.92x
Wiltshire 365 1.63x
Lanarkshire 352 0.43x
Sussex 339 0.79x
Nottinghamshire 338 0.99x
Hertfordshire 334 1.91x
Durham 323 0.43x
Leicestershire 309 1.10x
Derbyshire 259 0.65x
Carmarthenshire 258 2.42x
Cambridgeshire 254 1.58x
Buckinghamshire 249 1.63x
Herefordshire 248 2.39x
Bedfordshire 175 1.34x
Oxfordshire 174 1.11x
Midlothian 170 0.50x
Monmouthshire 148 0.81x
Berkshire 135 0.71x
Northumberland 103 0.27x
Angus 100 0.43x
Cumberland 90 0.41x
Huntingdonshire 68 1.35x
Montgomeryshire 64 1.10x
Dorset 59 0.36x
Radnorshire 57 2.79x
Renfrewshire 56 0.29x
East Lothian 49 1.46x
Denbighshire 48 0.50x
Flintshire 43 0.63x
West Lothian 37 0.97x
Channel Islands 36 0.48x
Dunbartonshire 34 0.50x
Stirlingshire 32 0.34x
Cardiganshire 31 0.50x
Royal Navy 30 0.99x
Ayrshire 25 0.13x
Rutland 25 1.35x
Brecknockshire 13 0.26x
Buteshire 12 0.78x
Roxburghshire 11 0.24x
Aberdeenshire 10 0.04x
Fife 10 0.07x
Wigtownshire 10 0.30x
Anglesey 6 0.13x
Caithness 4 0.12x
Isle of Man 4 0.09x
Westmorland 4 0.07x
Argyllshire 3 0.04x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.04x
Merionethshire 2 0.04x
Kincardineshire 1 0.03x
Morayshire 1 0.03x
Orkney 1 0.04x
Perthshire 1 0.01x
Ross-shire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 336 Reynolds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.58x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 336 1.58x
Aston 300 1.71x
Islington London 253 1.03x
Hackney London 248 1.75x
Lambeth 226 1.02x
Bethnal Green London 222 2.02x
St Pancras London 215 1.06x
Liverpool 212 1.16x
St Marylebone London 200 1.48x
Shoreditch London 194 1.77x
Camberwell 193 1.19x
West Ham 170 1.54x
Bermondsey 162 2.15x
Kensington London 154 1.09x
Newington 128 1.37x
Manchester 124 0.92x
Wolverhampton 122 1.86x
Paddington London 120 1.29x
Toxteth Park 117 1.15x
Portsea 113 1.11x
Deptford St Paul 110 1.65x
Mile End Old Town 107 2.68x
Everton 104 1.09x
Leeds 103 0.73x
West Bromwich 99 2.02x
Croydon 94 1.37x
St George Hanover 94 2.85x
St Luke London 93 2.29x
Lewisham 90 1.95x
Preston 89 1.11x
Hammersmith London 88 1.41x
Chesham 87 15.43x
Aberdare 84 2.78x
Battersea 84 0.90x
Chelsea London 83 1.09x
Walsall Foreign 83 1.88x
Trowbridge 82 8.29x
Govan 81 0.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 81 1.59x
Leicester St Margaret 80 1.17x
Salford 80 0.91x
Handsworth 78 3.70x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 77 0.56x
Llanelly 76 3.16x
Oldham 75 0.77x
Sedgley 74 2.33x
Bradford 72 1.19x
Bromley London 72 1.29x
West Derby 72 0.82x
Hulme 71 1.13x
St Andrewthe Less 70 3.82x
Redruth 68 8.39x
Clerkenwell London 67 1.12x
Nottingham St Mary 67 0.76x
St Agnes 67 16.70x
Birkenhead 66 1.48x
Sheffield 66 0.83x
Tipton 66 2.52x
Stoke Upon Trent 65 0.72x
Bow London 64 1.99x
Brighton 64 0.74x
Kings Norton 64 2.16x
Heigham 61 2.92x
Maidstone 61 2.37x
Merthyr Tydfil 60 1.42x
Northampton St Sepulchre 59 4.87x
Darlaston 57 4.83x
Barony 56 0.27x
Greenwich 55 1.37x
Plumstead 54 1.88x
Ystradyfodwg 54 1.40x
Constantine 53 31.78x
Blackburn 52 0.65x
Swindon 52 3.00x
Warrington 52 1.46x
Bedwellty 51 1.58x
Glasgow 51 0.35x
Kidderminster Borough 51 2.64x
Poplar London 51 1.07x
Liff Benvie 50 1.40x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Reynolds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,754
Elizabeth 1,015
Sarah 870
Ann 493
Jane 490
Eliza 414
Emma 406
Alice 344
Ellen 338
Annie 322
Emily 295
Margaret 265
Hannah 254
Martha 240
Louisa 191
Harriet 187
Maria 154
Fanny 150
Catherine 149
Charlotte 149
Edith 148
Caroline 136
Ada 126
Florence 126
Kate 126
Anne 123
Susan 107
Lucy 105
Clara 102
Harriett 88
Frances 78
Amelia 76
Rebecca 76
Agnes 71
Esther 68
Matilda 64
Rose 63
Lydia 57
Isabella 53
Jessie 52
Sophia 48
Susannah 47
Julia 45
Minnie 45
Amy 44
Elizth. 42
Laura 42
Rachel 41
Bridget 39
Eleanor 38

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Reynolds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,594
John 1,500
Thomas 901
George 807
James 796
Charles 539
Henry 512
Joseph 393
Edward 284
Arthur 274
Alfred 266
Robert 220
Richard 214
Frederick 210
Walter 198
Samuel 188
Albert 161
David 117
Frank 117
Harry 117
Herbert 108
Edwin 89
Ernest 88
Francis 78
Benjamin 77
Wm. 74
Patrick 68
Thos. 64
Geo. 58
Michael 54
Stephen 47
Daniel 43
Peter 39
Fred 33
Willm. 31
Joshua 29
Tom 29
Fredk. 28
Isaac 28
Chas. 27
Fredrick 27
Philip 25
Percy 24
Sidney 24
Mark 21
Matthew 20
Evan 19
Lewis 19
Jno. 18
Martin 18

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Reynolds households.

FAQ

Reynolds surname: questions and answers

How common was the Reynolds surname in 1881?

In 1881, 25,883 people were recorded with the Reynolds surname. That placed it at #127 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Reynolds surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 41,242 in 2016. That gives Reynolds a modern rank of #118.

What does the Reynolds surname mean?

An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold," a Germanic given name meaning "ruler's counsel."

What does the Reynolds map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Reynolds bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.